North Coast Joe

I just started riding at the beginning of November 2012, and am finding the learning curve rather steep between inclement weather, ice/snow, tire pressure, yadda..yadda

In a little over two months I've been chased by loose dogs twice already, now.The first time I was able to outrun a German Shepard, but barely, and had luck not made it a slight downhill, probably wouldn't have. The second time I screamed "NO!!" as the mixed breed made it to the bike, which backed it off enough for it to lose interest in the chase momentarily and allow my escape.

Now whenever I hear one bark in the vicinity, my head's on a swivel and I'm looking for a canine rocket coming out of a yard after me! It's actually changed my route a couple of times when I've seen a loose one in the distance!

I've owned dogs for my entire life and don't have an innate fear of them, but they've really added some anxiety to an otherwise wonderful cycling experience. Some 45 years ago I rode a road bike....back in the days when a frame pump was large enough to serve as a deterrent. What do you all do to improve your odds of not becoming dog meat?

Roushe

Yelling "NO" is effective as you have already seen. A squirt from your water bottle is also very effective especially when combined with yelling. Then, there is also pepper spray, but you might find your self on the wrong side of a redneck's temper over you "hurting" his dog.

A dog will usually go for your heel, so shifting to a higher gear ratio will make your foot a faster moving target and more difficult for Fido to grab a hold of.

I had one dog (a mixed breed) come after me where the dog surprised me. He lunged at my foot, missed, and his snout went into my spokes. His jaw was slammed into my chain stay locking up the back wheel. The dog survived, but was badly injured.

Russ

Essex

Tuff luck for the pup.

I hope the owner was apologetic.

Roushe

No collar. No owner. As soon as I freed him, he went off crying and leaving a blood droplet trail behind him. I called the police and they said I could leave the scene.

I can only assume they sent out animal control.

Russ

Essex

Man oh man. Sorry. Stupid dogbowners cause so much pain.

I've encountered vicious dogs and Have had close calls too. The worse ones are when they come at a angle and you don't see them till the moment they are nearly on you. I also yell no and once when I was surrounded by a pack of dogs in Marin County I used my bicycle pump as a visual club/stick. I also dismounted and used the bike as a shield.

These days I just avoid any road that I know has a feral dog on it....which is a complete drag..

Roushe

That would freak me out. I was attacked by a dog when I was a little kid, so I get a little skittish around one aggressive dog. I can't imagine how I would react with a pack of them.

Russ

gcottay

When a dog presents a threat STOP. Suddenly. Fast as your brakes and skill will allow. For most dogs that suddenly changes you from prey or play toy to human. For the rare dog that wants to show aggression you have a firm base for defense and appropriate counter-attack.

(That is advice given many years ago by an old experienced rider. So far, many dog encounters later, it has worked like a charm.)

nelson249

One tactic a friend of mine's dad used was to gauge how the dog was making the approach and just as the dog comes even with the rear wheel swerve sharply toward the dog at the same time accelerating hard. The rear tire just about takes the dog's nose off and forces it to pause just as you are accelerating. Not really appropriate for a comparatively inexperienced cyclist though and I have not had the occasion to use it myself.

Drv1913

This is what I do, and it has worked well for me so far - both with dogs that are chasing because they want to play and with those who want to attack. I just stop suddenly and wait. If the dog is growling or barking, I appear not to notice him; I turn my head and don't react to the growling, all the while closely monitoring the dog's actions out of the corner of my eye. They eventually get tired and move on. Occasionally, if this process seems to be taking a long time, I will add a stern, "No!" in an effort to speed things along. In the event that this didn't work, I would use my bike to fend off the attacking dog. So far, however, just stopping and ignoring the dog has worked on the dogs that I have encountered - from the chihuahua defending his home turf to the snarling street dog that once rounded the corner while I was waiting at the bus stop and made it clear in no uncertain terms that he didn't want me there.

AlmostTrick

The biggest risk of injury is from the dog causing you to crash. NEVER try to outrun 'em unless you are absolutely certain that you can. Trying to outrun them is a recipe for a wicked high speed crash, where you are almost certain to be injured way worse than you would be in any stand still conflict.

I always slow or stop and shout them off, and this has worked every time for me. If they were to continue to pursue, I'd use the bike as a shield AND a weapon.

Daves_Not_Here

There was recently a lengthy dog-related thread. It started out on the topic of pepper spray, but grew to include various tactics for dealing with attacking dogs:

https://www.bikeforums.net/showthread...4-Pepper-Spray

Doohickie

You've got the right instincts: Identify them before they see you, assess whether they are a threat and you can outrun them, take evasive action when you can't. Shouting at them works quite well. So does squirting your water bottle at them; you don't even have to hit them, just splash it in front of them to confuse them a bit. If I feel I can't outrun a dog and it is aggressive, I dismount and keep the bike between me and the dog.

The worst case scenario in my mind is packs of dogs in rural areas. Most of my rides (solo rides, anyway) are urban, so I don't encounter that very often. If I think I might, I take pepper spray.

I've found that almost all dogs are not out to attack. They may be protecting territory so they put on a good show, or they just want to go for a run with you. Yelling "NO! GO HOME!" is effective for me most of the time, and then the water bottle and then the dismount. So far I haven't been bitten yet.

BigJeff

Carry pepper spray and a knife.

Use pepper spray on an aggressive dog first... if that doesn't work and it still attacks you, use the knife.

Chris516

Yelling 'NO!', is an excellent way to get a dog's attention. But not every 'dangerous dog' will respond by backing off. Some may be 'immune' to being yelled at, so you need to put the 'pedal to the metal'. Also, It depends on if, the dog is a big breed like a German Shephard, Rottweiler, Pit Bull, or Mastiff; or if it is a small breed like a French Bischon, Poodle, or Dachsund. The first four, are big, and have the legs n' upper body strength. The latter three are small, don't have a big stride(because of how low they are to the ground), or a lot of speed(for the same reason).

Whenever I see a dog, if they are on a leash, I let the owner know, I have no problem with the dog, or how the owner is handling the dog. I also try to calm the dog from their sudden burst of energy from seeing a cyclist.

Jamesw2

I have been bitten twice while riding the first time was a scratch and a torn sock the second time a small dog bit through my crock type shoe. Animal control was called on the second attack.
I now carry pepper spray (Halt) I also have an Air-zound horn
I use a high cadence and water bottle for my first line of defense. And i have had to use a whole bottle sever times on rides and needed to cut the ride short because i used most of my water fending off dogs.

This happened over a few minutes during one ride . . https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xcJJbRflm9Y After the big rotty another dog attacked out of camera view
I also have been overtaken on the road by a herd of deer

The real danger is when a pack of dogs are after you.

I've had a dog chasing me and an 18 wheeler pass both of us as i am trying to avoid the dog

Essex

Cool. I like the rhythm of your pedaling + the wildlife that gives chase! Too bad there are no Bald Eagles in the area. The little snapping pups would be breakfast in a hurry.

Drv1913

Dang, dude; you have a lot of loose dogs in your area!

Jamesw2

This was a new area for me to ride in but it is standard for older developments with large lots 1/2 to 5 acres .. In order for me to get off the main road this is what i face On the main road it is 18 wheels and people that drive on the wrong side of the fog line.

turbo1889

I've had a handful of very bad encounters with dogs over the years. The worst of all and the one that taught me the hard way to show absolutely no mercy was when I was in junior-high I had a vicious little 30-lb or so size "Lassie" type dog with the long thin snout chase me, bite my leg, making me crash, and then really start to attack me and chew on me going for my throat after I was down. I was unarmed and ultimately had to stop that dog with my bare hands when I finally managed to clamp my legs around it tight around its front shoulders and twist its head the opposite direction with both arms as far as I could and as hard as I could to break it. I had the kid's (who sicked the dog on my) parents standing around me (all torn up both in my clothes and my flesh and bleeding terribly from scratches and bite marks all over my body including the back and sides of my neck and on my chin and upper chest because I had tucked my chin down to protect the very front of my neck) when the sheriff deputy pulled up. I was "let off with a warning" by the officer who refused to call for medical attention when I specifically requested it (specifically, repeatably asking for an ambulance) or at least contact my folks so they could come and get me and the parents of the kid were "consoled for their loss" but told that it couldn't be proven that I wasn't defending myself so unfortunately I couldn't be arrested for attacking and killing their dog (all this while the kid is crying, screaming, and wailing in the background making threats that he is going to kill me because I killed his dog).


It took me a half hour to limp home on my damaged bike and as soon as my Mom saw me come through the front door she piled me into the car and rushed me into town to the ER where they not only patched me up and gave me blood to replace what I had lost but also attached me to a big IV bag of antibiotics on one of those poles with wheels you have to push around with you and took photos of my extensive injuries especially the back of my neck where my flesh had been opened to expose the back of the spinal bones underneath with dog teeth marks in the bone. The sheriff department was again called in at the ER and I spoke with a different deputy officer after coming out of being patched up and two days later once my folks managed to get copies of the photos from the hospital and they drove me down where the attack had taken place and I had pointed out which house the dog, the kid, and his folks had come from and took their own photos of the blood stained ground where the fight had taken place and the bloody car seat in my mothers car me Dad went down to the sheriffs office with the photos and in his words "tore them a new one" especially for their refusal to call an ambulance for me at the scene.


Ultimately, my folks were stone walled by the Sheriffs department and although my parent’s medical insurance was able to recoup their financial losses from the dog’s owners nothing was done beyond that especially in regard to the department itself and the deputy officer who took the call. At that point my father purchased a 22-lr snub-nose pocket revolver which was my riding companion from that point forward, it was used twice on attacking dogs as soon as they were right at me feet (My father trained me to stop and dismount and then hold me fire and not shoot unless they continued their aggression to point blank range and then shoot down into them so that the shots were aimed down into the ground and their wouldn't be stray bullets and so that I wouldn't be shooting a dog unless it really was necessary) during my high school years and each time the sheriff department was again called in and they knew who I was and both times I was able to call my folks from a neighboring houses phone so one or both of them arrived on the scene and one of the two times it was me that called the sheriff not the dogs owners since that dog was apparently a feral. My folks already had a lawyer do the legal research and had a stack of the pertinent laws covering such situations and previous case history they had the lawyer make up with his notation and made copies that were stapled together that in each case a copy was handed directly to the deputy officer that arrived on the scene. Once I came of age myself that responsibility was handed off to me directly and I have since upgraded several times as to the firearm and now carry a 380 pocket auto for dog defense (a heavier slower moving bullet has better up close stopping power and is less likely to pass completely through a target and continue onward and even if it does it doesn’t go as far as a lighter faster moving bullet and thus is safer in terms of potential collateral damage), and yes at least in my own state where I have all the paper work already done and ready if an attacking dog continues its aggression all the way too my feet they end up dead at my feet. That is my policy and I enforce it because I never want to have to fight for my life against a dog going for my throat with my bare hands ever again. I've put down several more since I came of age (a long time ago) and dealt with the cops myself afterwards. I don't shoot unless they continue their aggression right up to me feet, but if they do I take them out there and don't wait until they are actually chewing on me.


I'm not suggesting that everyone follow that plan, especially if your state laws don't allow for it, but that is what I have been doing for decades where I am at and I've put down a few dogs over the years. Yes, I have felt bad about a couple of them afterwards because I don't enjoy killing dogs and yes I've had some really ticked off owners. But it is better then the alternative and I have learned the hard way that 99.999999% of the time the cops with be against the biker regardless of what goes down or how it goes down or how obvious it is so you best know your rights and exercise them and already know where the law stands and already have a plan of action before things go down whether it be vicious attacking dogs or otherwise.

Jamesw2

at turbo1899

WOW!
I have worked for Veterinarians and have been bitten in the course of doing my job but your experience with the dogs and the law go above beyond what a person should need to deal with.

turbo1889

I should note that there have been far more dogs over the years that when I stopped and dismounted they didn't continue their aggression and backed off. Its been the exception not the norm that they have continued their aggression up to me feet and I've had to put them down but it has happened. Most of them stop at about ten feet distance or so and kind of circle and bark.

North Coast Joe

Thanks for all the advice, along with some tales of hair-raising encounters to boot! I never thought of the crash and burn scenario when attempting to flee, but it sounds too likely with a dog in hot pursuit.

I'm going to try the quick stop and dismount routine the next time it happens. I did attach a cannister of pepper spray, as well, but I'd be better off using it while dismounted. I can't bring myself to carry a firearm in my area, but this isn't Montana, either. I've encountered packs of feral dogs while fishing (with permit) on nearby Native American Reservations...firearms are essential in that case, but I think in my neighborhood they'd bring more trouble than anything else.

I did 15 miles again today and the anxiety was still there, but subsiding. I should try to find a riding partner or group to take my mind off of "dog watch". I really miss the care-free feeling of riding that I had before these two incidents; I hope it returns. Thanks, everyone!

mtbikerinpa

I usually do the Red-October routine on the chasers. Track their heading and go toward it. It throws off the targeting and sets them on defense. Usually results in a comical trip roll and runaway with tail down. Especially effective when used with a yell or horn.

I've tried the dismount/stop trick and while it works for some dogs(usually the mutt breeds), others it brings out an odd tendency. The dogs will sometimes disconnect the bike from the rider mentally which is not in itself a bad thing but I had one dog proceed to attempt to chew on my tires! He figured he caught my bike...

Essex

Have you considered that what you're stating is illegal?

Don in Austin

Where is it illegal to do what you need to do to defend yourself against an aggressive dog?